Nixon's paranoia reached a fever pitch when it came to Jewish backers of his Democratic rivals. The tapes include several shocking anti-Semitic statements, and reveal plans to target key Jewish political contributors with IRS audits. On September 13, 1971, Nixon told his chief of staff Haldeman, "Now here's the point, Bob. Please get me the names of the Jews. You know, the big Jewish contributors to the Democrats. Could we please investigate some of the cocksuckers?" Five days earlier, Nixon had observed to Erlichman that "we have the power," and asked, "Are we using it to investigate contributors to Hubert Humphrey, contributors to Muskie, the Jews, you know, that are stealing in every direction?" On September 14, Nixon told Haldeman: "What about the rich Jews? The IRS is full of Jews, Bob... Go after 'em like a son-of-a-bitch!"

Nixon's bitter, biased statements about Jews, as recorded on the tapes, have elicited harsh criticism from Jewish groups and the media. The San Francisco Examiner, whose Washington bureau chief, Christopher Matthews, has written several key stories on the new Nixon tapes, editorialized about the excerpts: "This is not the first inkling we've had of the late ex-president's anti-Semitic streak, but his hostile stereotyping of fellow Americans as detailed in the newly public tapes comes as a jolting reminder that Nixon truly deserved being chased from office in disgrace."